Charter of Rai

Charter of Rai
Created	15 May 2020
Ratified	15 May 2020
Authors	Grand Duke Tarik
Signers	Grand Duke Tarik

The Charter of Rai (Sabian: raisoa; lit. "Rai Charter", also called baraibarasoa; lit. "Grand Ducal Charter") is the constitution of the Grand Duchy of Rai, a federal state of the Abeldane Empire. It was adopted on 15 May 2020, when it was promulgated through a grand-ducal decree by Grand Duke Tarik Karjasari. It was the first constitutional document ever adopted by the state, making Rai the last state in Abelden to adopt a fundamental law of any sort.

The Charter of Rai codified the monarchy's extensive executive, legislative and judicial powers, which had been excercised de facto since the establishment of the Grand Duchy as Bergendorf under Angelo I Geulin, in 2016.

Contents

The Charter has no preamble. It is divided into five parts: primordial elements of the Grand Duchy, governance, state symbols, guiding principles of the Rai society, and considerations on the Charter itself.

Part 1 (primordial elements)

Part 1 of the Charter describes the "primordial elements" of the Grand Duchy, the nature of the Grand Duchy as a sovereign state and constituent part of the Abeldane Empire (subjected to its constitution and laws), the nature of the Rai monarchy, and the nature of the Rai people as a constituent element of the "Great Valtirian Nation", thereby adopting the Sabian language as the sole official language of the Grand Duchy. It is entirely made of Article 1.

Part 2 (governance)

Part 2 of the Charter describes the style of governance and the state institutions of the Grand Duchy. Articles 2 and 3 describe the Monarchy, its authority and the form (absolute primogeniture) and line of succession, starting with the ruling House of Karjasari and then the secondary House of Hasaraši. The following articles describe the office and responsibilities of the Seneschal of Rai, the source and limitations of their authority, the nature of their permanence in the post, and the possibility of the establishment of a Bok ("court", in Sabian), a deliberative assembly with no actual legislative powers. Notably, it establishes Grand Ducal Decrees as the only valid form of legislation in the Grand Duchy.

Part 3 (state symbols)

The third part of the Charter establishes legal provisions on the state symbols of the Grand Duchy (the flag, coat of arms, state anthem and motto), and the importance of the state flag and coat of arms as the "foremost symbols" of the Grand Duchy and the Grand Duke, and that as such they are to be treated "with respect and in ceremonial fashion".

Part 4 (guiding principles of Rai society)

Part 4 of the Charter establishes the "primordial values" of Rai society, namely "equality before the law, the pursuit of fine aesthetics, freedom to express oneself, and the determination to shatter oppressive structures in the overarching society." It also sets the "primordial truths" of Rai society, which are that the Rai people are a constituent part of the Great Valtirian Nation, as much as they are legally bound to the laws of the Abeldane Empire and Commonwealth, and that there are systemic forces operating well beyond the reach of the Rai state’s authority and the Rai people’s impact that greatly benefit a select few individuals at the heavy expense and detriment of oppressed majorities; this, the Charter maintains, is an undesirable situation. This section also establishes the social and cultural duties of the Grand Ducal State.

Part 5 (Charter provisions)

The fifth and final part establishes general provisions on the Charter, including the procedure for the addition of constitutional amendments and the entry into force of the Charter.

See also

• Constitution of Abelden
• Reichshöchsgericht

External links

• Grand Ducal Decree on the Fifteenth of May - Charter of Rai